WASHINGTON — Georgia’s Jon Ossoff has been appointed to lead the Senate subcommittee that investigates crime and corruption within the U.S. government and its agencies, plus just about any aspect of federal policy.
Recent probes by the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations covered topics such as organized crime, terrorism, the SARS outbreak, security of the U.S. energy system and the 2008 financial crisis, according to a news release from Ossoff’s office. CNN was the first to report on the appointment.
“This Subcommittee will pursue the truth, inform the public, and hold power to account,” Ossoff said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Ranking Member Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and my Subcommittee colleagues to serve the American public.”
In announcing his chairmanship, Ossoff’s office highlighted his experience as an investigative journalist who ran his own media company until his election to the Senate.
Former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, a Democrat like Ossoff, chaired the same subcommittee from 1979 to 1980 and again from 1987 to 1994. It allowed him to conduct high-profile congressional investigations with subpoena power and a dedicated staff. The final reports were often used to introduce deeply informed and often bipartisan legislative fixes.
The panel, which now falls under the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, was first formed in 1941; its inaugural chairman was future president and Missouri Sen. Harry Truman.
Staff writer Patricia Murphy contributed to this article.
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